Attic Numerals History

Attica is a region of greece whose main city is athens.

Attic numerals history.

The roman numeral system was descended from ancient etruscan numerals itself adapted from the greek attic symbols. Our own word alphabet comes from the first two letters or numbers of the greek alphabet alpha and beta using the letters of their alphabet enabled them to use these symbols in a more condensed version of their old system called attic. Attic numerals was another system that came into use perhaps in the 7th century bc. Attic numerals were used by the ancient greeks possibly from the 7th century bc.

The attic numerals are a symbolic number notation used by the ancient greeks. They were also known as herodianic numerals because they were first described in a 2nd century manuscript by herodian. This system which arose around 500 b c. Or so used only six symbols.

The greek system of abbreviations known today as attic numerals appears in the records of the 5th century bce but was probably used much earlier. They were also known as herodianic numbers as they appear described for the first time in a manuscript by herodian from the 2nd century. The letter h eta is usually pronounced as a long e. Attic numerals were adopted possibly starting in the 7th century bce and were eventually replaced by the classic greek numerals around the 3rd century bce.

They were acrophonic derived after the initial one from the first letters of the names of the numbers represented. The attic system was similar to other forms of numbering systems of that era. They were also known as herodianic numerals because they were first described in a 2nd century manuscript by herodian. They are believed to have served as model for the etruscan number system although the two were nearly contemporary and the symbols are not obviously related.

Attic refers to the greek territory of attica while herodianic refers to aelius herodianus a grammarian of the 2 nd century a d. Or as acrophonic numerals from acrophony because the basic symbols derive from the first letters of the ancient greek words that the symbols represented. Attic numeration was used by the ancient greeks probably starting in the 7th century b c. Attic numbers were largely used for cardinal numbers for counting not for ordering and were not used to represent fractions.

It is the oldest system of those employed by the greeks. The attic or herodianic system of numerals was the first numeral system used in ancient greece.